Novak Djokovic says his right knee has responded well after surgery to treat a torn meniscus less than a month ago and he is fit to compete at Wimbledon, where he has won seven of his 24 Grand Slam titles.
Speaking at Saturday’s press conference, Djokovic said that while he had a lot of doubt about his ability to make it to the All England Club after being injured at the French Open on June 3, he was much more optimistic after a week of training on the London pitch.
His first match will be against Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva on Tuesday.
“I didn’t come here to play a few rounds and prove to myself and others that I can actually compete in one or two matches. I really want to aim for the title,” said Djokovic, seeded second behind Italian Jannik Sinner. “The last three days have given me enough optimism and good signs that I can really be in a position to compete at the highest level in the coming weeks.”
The 37-year-old Serbian suffered the injury during a five-set win over Argentina’s Francisco Cerundulo in the fourth round of the French Open. He withdrew before the quarter-finals and underwent surgery on June 5 in Paris.
After training in London with the likes of Australian Open champion Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Frances Tiafoe, Djokovic said there had been no problems and he was “confident” about the condition of his knee.
He spoke to other top athletes who had undergone similar surgery, including Taylor Fritz, who returned to action after 21 days.
“It may not be ideal in the eyes of doctors and specialists who would normally tell you it’s three to six weeks,” Djokovic acknowledged. “The closer to six weeks, the better, probably, because you don’t want to take too much risk and give your knee and your body time.
“But it’s also individual. It’s very subjective. Everyone reacts differently to recovery, to injury, to rehabilitation, to exercises.”
2024-06-29 18:57:33
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